Comments on: Table Saw Injuries-What is the Real Cost?

By: Chris Knight

Chris Knight — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:25:00 +0000

If you want to promote tablesaw safety, I suggest you stop showing ripping operations with a full length fence…

By: Bubba Squirrel

Bubba Squirrel — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:21:51 +0000

A few years ago I tipped over a worn out push block & put my right index finger down right on top of a running saw blade. It split my finger from the tip to above the first knuckle. It was such a strange experience that I actually pulled the board back, straightened up the push block and resumed to cut before my mind registered that something might need attention. Required an orthopedic surgeon (ER rule since bone was involved). He wanted to send me to physical therapy to exercise the first joint of my index finger. Lost my fingernail, about 1/4 inch off the length of my finger, part of my ability to type well, and my potential career as a hand model. That was about 4 years ago. I now have about 90% of the feeling back in the fingertip, a nail that resembles a very bad circumcision, and a lot of chagrin to carry around. I did PT on my own–figured I could handle finger bending exercises w/out an attendant–saw the surgeon about 3-4 times in his office for follow-up. I paid about $3800 and insurance paid about $1500, if I remember correctly. I could have bought a SawStop for the cost, but I still wouldn’t for the simple reason that I wouldn’t have room to use it if I had one. I’m using (and was using) a 1970′s era Craftsman table saw. No gaurds. I made the push block. I turned on the saw. All me. My fault–no one else’s. I just get more and more tired of discovering that every thing that happens to anybody is made to be some one else’s fault and that it has to be rectified by making them pay money to the "injured" party and the contingency fee to his lawyer.

By: Dave O

Dave O — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 05:23:27 +0000

I lost about 1/2" of my right ring finger tip in my garage door about 4 years ago. The ER surgery bill my insurance paid was about $3700. Then there was follow up surgery that was another $1500 or so, plus all those doctor visits and therapy. I think the cost of that one finger tip was about $8500 total.

By: Jason M

Jason M — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:13:24 +0000

Next thing you know they’ll set up programs encouraging folks to turn in their table saws, like the programs they have to take similarly dangerous handguns off the streets. (As someone who practices his constitutional right to own firearms and a table saw, I’m kidding of course.)

I personally don’t think we should ignore what they are saying, just be real about it. For example, I don’t think there would be any harm in giving table saw owners a small manual showing how to safely perform common table saw tasks, what to watch for, and what to avoid. I personally learned about kickback the hard way, even though I understood what it was. I didn’t really get why it happened until it happened a few too many times. Now that I get it, it hasn’t happened. Fortunately, I never was injured.